Let's Talk Cyclecars

as a kid I wanted one of those Midget Racers so much but it never happened. I did build a Soapbox Derby car to that design.

 

Now that my eyesight is failing most of we own will be sold. I'm OK with that. I'm not gonna die only go blind. I can not read my micrometers anymore... gl***es don't fix this. But I will always have my memories and honestly don't need trip and fall over this stuff to remind me. SO THIS WILL BE MY JOB FOR THE NEXT YEARS.

 

Very sorry to hear that

 

Hello, Bluto the Friend!​

I am always sorry and sad because of your problems, but glad to see your at***ude, bravery and high spirit that help you to overcome all that. I am sure that your magnificent dedication, love and persistence in collecting old stuff have the strong positive influence on accepting problems that couldn't be solved and solving problems that could! I believe that person Z, is the second (or the first) pilon that support you! As I once wrote, you remind me of my late brother, not just by physical look, but by love for machinery and even more by mentioned mental and emotional strength!
--- ---
About photos with vehicles from your collection, I am sure that they would be welcomed here! This great Forum is already far away from the main subject of H.A.M.B. - therefore some side-paths are allowed and should be well received!

Regards,
Zoran​

P.S.: Just for Bluto - quite big letters!
P.S.: Many happiness and good luck in all fields and at all paths of life, during the entire 2018th year - for all the members of this Forum!

 

PLEASE DON'T ANYONE BE SORRY TO HEAR THIS. I SAVED THE BEST PROJECTS FOR MY RETIREMENT. THEY JUST MUST GO. AFTER ALL I HAVE GONE THRU I AM STILL ALIVE AND WILL STILL POST ON THE BOARD TILL I REALLY CAN'T SEE.

IN MY CASE THE WORLD ISN'T GOING DARK BUT RATHER MORE AND MORE PIECES ARE MISSING IN MY VIEW'
There is a lot to see in "blutos stuff" photo file on this website.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/media/albums/blutos-stuff.9309/

 

from Lee Stohr.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/91981316@N06/sets/72157634135654884/with/9068447668/

 

You like baby cars?
Have a look on this link.
http://theoldmotor.com/?s=baby+cars

 

Thank you, Rolf, for interesting posts! ​

Who wouldn't like all kinds of baby-racers, either push-karts (gravity racers, soapbox cars and so on), or motorized versions (often known as baby Vanderbilt racers)...



The attached link will lead you to nice Chaplin's film, starting with sequences with kid soapbox karts and then followed by motorised small racers... When I was a kid, I saw this film in Belgrade's "Kinoteka" (film archive museum) - and, became obsessed with idea of building soapbox kart, then later to motorised it, then to build some kind of cyclecar (didn't know for them yet), then - something bigger for two persons (attractive for the girls!), then...
Started all that, from time to time - but only finished were a motorised camper, pedal-powered quadricycle and two kid-cars... Third kid-car is at the beginning of construction.








For the film, I think that it is the mixture of do***entary and acting components? Not all of the persons knew that they should be actors in one of the first Chaplin's comedies? He wasn't so popular in that era and maybe wasn't recognised...

Ciao,
Zoran​

 

Nice cars, I've never understood how Chaplin had the following and fortune it allowed him to am***. Bob

 

THIS WENT TO JAPAN TOO



BUT IT HAS A 4 IN IT NOT A TWIN

 

HERE'S THE FRONT OF THE 1/4 MIDGET RACER

NOTE THE ALLOY FRONT DROP AXLE AND WHEELS



THIS CAR WAS WON BY A NEWSPAPER BOY THAT TOOK IT HOME AND HIS MOTHER NEVER LET HIM DRIVE IT. A LITTLE KIDS RACING TIME CAPSULE

 

Hello, Bluto the Friend!​

It seems that my previous comment disappeared in some way or was erased...
Both of cars looks to me like great toys for serious children and for unserious adults! Mabe, not of my size, but some more "standard" big boys?

The white one is my favourite, looks like it has a nose (bonnet ~ hood) like Packard and the red one is magnificent!

Good for original builders/owners to have them, but for you too as the owner of the great collection! Happy people who bought them from you!

Regards,
Zoran​

 

THERE IS A PHOTO OF THE 1/4 MIDGET AND ME FOR SCALE
ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE

I HAVE A LOT OF FUN WITH TOYS AND STILL PLAY WITH TRUCKS TOO

 

====================================
...sooo, red 1/4 Midget isn't for me, neither for my son (37 yeras old, tall as I am, but a lot slimmer) - however, maybe for my granddaughter in Belgrade after some 6 years, or for my step-grandson here in Bern, after some 10 years!
Zoran

 

from the web...

 

ANYBODY WANT A 1914 PROJECT

I HAVE A PRETTY NICE DE DION ENGINE AND GEARBOX

 

Said to be an early BMW photo by Zoltan Gl***, arguably Europe's best automobile photographer in the 1930s.

 

Ya see...people texted back then too.

 

THERE ARE A LOT OF CARS IT COULD BE... MY GUESS IS FIAT BALLILA SPYDER THE STAGGARD SEATS DIDN'T HAPPEN OFTEN ON BMW 3/15 OR DIXI SPORT OR IHLE BODIES BMWS

VERY NICE IMAGE, THANK YOU.FOR POSTING IT.

 

However Chaplin am***ed his fortune ... he sure kept quiet about it.

 

Here's another from the same series with the top partially up:

Caption reads: "A photograph of a man using a typewrite whilst sat in a two-seater car, taken by Zoltan Gl*** during a race at the AVUS circuit, Berlin, in 1934". Note that in this pic, two sidemounted spares are visible and they appear to be of different sizes.

 

THE PHOTO SHOWS TWO DIFFERING TIRE REGARDING TREAD WARE

CAN'T SEE A SIZE ON EITHER.

THE BALLIA SPORT ROADSTER WAS BUILT ALL OVER. IN GERMANY THEY WERE BUILT AS NSU/FIAT AND APPEARED IN NSU CATALOG IN CZ THEY WERE "WALTER SPORT" IN FRANCE A SIMCA MODEL.

I WASN'T TRYING TO ARGUE ONLY POINT OUT SOME OBSERVATIONS

THERE WERE A LOT OF LITTLE SPECIAL BODIES BUILT TOO.

 

Bluto,
I didn't think you were arguing. It's just me, spending way too much time on an obscure puzzle. It's not like it is the first question I've obsessed over in this thread... Feel free to ignore me (but I hope you don't, you have a lot of experience with the cars we discuss here.)
Thanks for reminding me about NSU-Fiat & Simca, Walter Sport is new to me.
My note about the sidemounts being different sizes may be an illusion. It looks like the near spare's rim does not rise above the cowl, but the far spare does. Is it just an illusion?

 

NOT TO WORRY
ONE REASON I POST HERE ARE THE NUMBER OF FOLKS HERE
IT TOO UGLY TO GO VERY FAR OUTSIDE
ICE FISHING IS PRETTY BORING
SO WE SIT AROUND THE TABLE CLOSE TO THE HEATER WITH A WARM DRINK AND HOPE FOR SPRING AND THE CHANCE TO DRIVE

 

I had to Google the Fiat. Very nice car but I didn't see any photo showing side mounted spares. Not to say that means anything regarding the discussion here.

 

THE FIATS ARE VERY VERY SMALL INSIDE. I GO INTO A WALTER SPORT ONCE, NO STAGGARD SEATS, AND COULDN'T GET OUT.

NOT A PROBLEM IN MY WIFE'S NSU/FIAT WENSBERG SPIDER. I'VE EVEN DRIVEN IT.



WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE BALILLA KELCH BODIED COUPE RUNNING YET TO TEST IT ROOM. HERE'S WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE... OURS IS SITTING BACK IN THE STORAGE FOR NOW.





FUN LITTLE CARS ..... ALL

JUST HAD TO FIND

 

I think it's an illusion caused by the curvature of the cowling and angle of the picture.

 

Hello there,​

Whatever is that small cabriolet - it is cute and I would like to have one. Probably that it is one of smaller Central Europe models, with a special body. It was really strange how many of such smaller automobiles had special bodies, built by smaller workshops, making them more luxurious or sporty.

The most popular base was small Fiat's automobiles, as Bluto wrote - made elsewhere under licence, but original Czechoslovakian smaller automobiles, too. There were a few such models as a good base for specials: Skoda, mentioned Walter (famous by its fire-arms), Tatra, Aero, Jawa...
Just to know that Italian specials could be based on Fiat 500 Topolino (four-cylinder 500 cc) or Fiat Ballila (four-cylinder 900 cc - 1100 cc?), from the late thirties up to early fifties, with the second variant of Ballila - Fiat 1100. probably that a few dozens were built at any base, including many sport/racing specials known as "Barchetta", even some "Monoposto" racers...


Could be a nice subject for spending cold winter hours on "googling" - and until then, a few photos.

Ciao,
Zoran​

 

THANK YOU FOR THE PHOTOS, ZORAN

THE GREAT THING IS THAT SO MANY OF THESE LITTLE CARS SURVIVE.
MAYBE JUST BECAUSE THE OWNERS LOVED THEM.
WE ARE THE 4TH OWNERS OF OUR TOPOLINO ROADSTER
THE 3RD OF OUR BALILLA COUPE
THEIR ORIGINAL OWNERS KEPT THEM FOREVER.